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  2nd Annual International Conference Proceedings - Development: Discourses and Critiques

  Centre for Business and Economic Research (CBER) and School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS)

  The Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) at School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS) IBA has organized the 2nd Annual conference on 25th-27th March 2022. The theme for this year invites works from a wide range of disciplines to critique, question and reconsider the experiences of transnational, national and sub-national actors with the development process. What does ‘development’ mean for different actors, and how has this narrative shifted over time? How does development define and redefine power relations and what implications does this have for different groups? How have colonial experiences shaped futures and how does one deconstruct ideas rooted in these experiences?

  Our conference programme includes keynote speakers, technical research paper sessions and panel discussions on the actual effects of development in terms of human experiences. Student circles are led by student societies, who along with their faculty mentors have organized workshops on calligraphy, poetry, and wellbeing.

  We are wary of hierarchies within academia and have taken several steps to be more inclusive. We have provided alternative programme formats and a discussion on inclusive development and disability rights. We have made efforts to make our programme as diverse as possible and encourage participation from minorities and underrepresented groups. We have a daycare facility and work with participants who require other facilities. We are also working towards creating a culture of sustainability and reduced waste.

  At CBER, we support research that leads to an inclusive, open and critical dialogue. We welcome attendees from Pakistan and other countries to be a part of this much needed conversation. A lot more needs to be done, but we hope that every year we take one step forward to make academia more diverse, vibrant and self-aware.

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  Proceedings - Climate Change: Threats, Risks and Vulnerabilities

  Centre for Business and Economic Research (CBER) and Hanns Seidel Foundation, Pakistan

  Pakistan is one of the world’s most climate vulnerable countries ranking fifth in the list. It has experienced various disasters in recent decades, including floods, droughts and intense heat waves causing thousands of fatalities. Moreover, due to the deterioration of the Indus Delta approximately 1.2 million people dispersed and shifted to urban hubs like Karachi. Researchers have projected an increase in frequency and severity of these catastrophic environmental events, causing food and water scarcity, health and socio-economic issues in coming decades.

  Climate change is no longer a threat but has become an existential crisis. There is a need for immediate attention and action to move towards environmental sustainability. Therefore, realizing the urgent call of the most complex and challenging issue faced by humanity today, academic institutions need to be playing the role of creating spaces and opportunities for collaboration and conversation. Furthermore, active student involvement in such collaborations is crucial for their mobilization out of academic institutions.

  This conference was the inaugural event for the Social Sciences and Liberal Arts Department’s focus on interdisciplinary climate and ecologies research where the objective was to produce knowledge that is rooted in indigenous scholarship, experience and practice. To this aim, we will continue to work with non-traditional security challenges as a theme for future conferences and seminars.

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  1st International Conference on Economics and Sustainable Development Conference Proceedings

  IBA School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS) and Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER)

  The IBA School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS) and the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) organized the 1st International Conference themed "Economics and Sustainable Development", in the month of April, 2021. The conference brought together academics, practitioners and advocates to have a dialogue on creative ideas, local and global best practices, and evidence-based solutions for sustainable development.